You have to feel sorry for attendees at the LibDem conference in Glasgow. Not only had they been incarcerated since Saturday,- a long time ago,- but on finally leaving they were faced with an awful dilemma.
Not the choice of which of their future coalition partners to be rudest to and about. Much worse than that.
Fresh from just having voted to hobble further growth of Britain's thriving aviation sector by rejecting any ideas of further runways, and being almost religiously opposed to emissions of any kind (difficult on a lentil and beans diet) they had to get home without polluting the environment. Flying was obviously out. That left the trains. But some of those use planet choking diesel and the others electricity made from all sorts of things transported across the world to avoid it actually being Britain who chucks nasties out into the atmosphere.Coaches? Yes, OK for some but they do take a long time to reach the deep south. That left the most inefficient polluters of all,- cars.
We really don't know the answer. Nick and friends were seen heading north in a (standard class) train so maybe they returned to inside the M25 comfort zone the same way. The rest? If anyone sees forlorn figures standing by the exits of M74 and M6 service stations clutching bundles of conference goodies, do give them a cheery wave.Extra weight in the car means more pollution. Sorry folks.
Footnote: Among LibDems demands of a future coalition bedmate is that they should be allocated a couple of LibDem only ministries to do more or less what they want with. The ones they are said to want are Transport and Business. May all deities preserve us.
Not the choice of which of their future coalition partners to be rudest to and about. Much worse than that.
Fresh from just having voted to hobble further growth of Britain's thriving aviation sector by rejecting any ideas of further runways, and being almost religiously opposed to emissions of any kind (difficult on a lentil and beans diet) they had to get home without polluting the environment. Flying was obviously out. That left the trains. But some of those use planet choking diesel and the others electricity made from all sorts of things transported across the world to avoid it actually being Britain who chucks nasties out into the atmosphere.Coaches? Yes, OK for some but they do take a long time to reach the deep south. That left the most inefficient polluters of all,- cars.
We really don't know the answer. Nick and friends were seen heading north in a (standard class) train so maybe they returned to inside the M25 comfort zone the same way. The rest? If anyone sees forlorn figures standing by the exits of M74 and M6 service stations clutching bundles of conference goodies, do give them a cheery wave.Extra weight in the car means more pollution. Sorry folks.
Footnote: Among LibDems demands of a future coalition bedmate is that they should be allocated a couple of LibDem only ministries to do more or less what they want with. The ones they are said to want are Transport and Business. May all deities preserve us.
